In D.C… Speaking Your Mind Might Get You Fired
March 13, 2011 in Barack Obama, Foreign Policy, George W. Bush, Obama Adminstration, Political Freedom, Revolution
By CFS
In a sad flashback to the Bush era, it appears that an Obama Administration official, Director of National Intelligence James Clapper, is under pressure to resign over comments he recently made regarding the Libyan uprising. While giving his testimony to a congressional hearing regarding the situation in Libya Clapper commented that Gaddafi’s, “regime will prevail,” in the longer term because of its superior firepower. Republican Senator Lindsey Graham immediately called for the Director’s resignation saying that, “his comments will make the situation more difficult for those opposing Gadhafi.”
Now… I don’t enjoy defending the intelligence community given human rights violations, extraordinary rendition, and blowback caused by their interference in other country’s sovereign affairs. But Clapper hits the nail directly on the head with his assessment of what is happening in Libya. The longer that Gaddafi has to re-consolidate his power, assault the rebels in the eastern half of the country, and practice realpolitik the more likely it is that he and his sons, will come out of this triumphant.
There is the very real opportunity in Libya to support the flowering of a democratic society. Obama missed the ball during the uprisings in Tunisia and Egypt, but now the world is faced with a dictator in the guise of Gaddafi that will use any means necessary to crush the will of “his” people.
The situation in Libya has morphed; peaceful protesters have been forced to take up arms if only for their own survival. As of two weeks ago there was no turning back for many of the protesters. If Gaddafi had chemical weapons available to him I’m sure he would have few misgivings about using them against the protesters come rebels.
The rebels are taking concrete steps to place themselves on legitimate footing. The Interim National Council has been formed and already recognized by France. Without support in the form of food, medical supplies, funding, and weapons the rebels will likely fail and the world will be faced with a humanitarian crisis and an even more paranoid dictator in control of a major oil exporting country.
The American Revolution was only successful because of outside support from the French. We have the chance to support a home-grown democratic movement, not the astroturf kind that George Bush gave the world at the cost of trillions of dollars, thousands of American lives, and million of civilian casualties.
.Election Resources
- Denise Juneau for U.S. Senate
- Fact Check.org
- FEC Campaign Finance Reporting
- Follow the Money
- Montana PBS
- Montana Public Radio News Blog
- MT Campaign Reporting
- MT Goverment e-Calendar
- MT Legislature
- Open Congress
- Open Secrets
- PolitiFact
- Project Vote Smart
- Sunlight Campaign Ad Monitor
- Sunlight Foundation
Citizen's Info
- #OccupyMIssoula
- #occupyportland
- #occupyseattle
- #OccupyTogether
- #occupywallstreet
- A New Century of Forest Planning
- ACLU of Montana blog
- Alliance for the Wild Rockies
- Association of Alternative Newsweeklies
- Banktracker
- BLM Land Survey Information
- Buffalo's Fire
- Center for Budget & Policy Priorities
- Clark Fork Watershed Education Program
- Concerned Citizens Montana
- Cops and Courts
- CRMW's Regional Economies Assessment Database
- Dirty Oil Sands
- Donate to the Missoula Food Bank
- Donate to the Poverello Center
- EarmarkWatch.org
- FedSpending.org
- Good Jobs First
- Government News for Montana
- Guide to Montana Courts
- Hatewatch
- Headwaters Economics
- Headwaters News
- Health Reform Watch
- http://ncfp.wordpress.com/
- Immigration Blog
- John Adams' The Lowdown
- Kaiser Health News
- Keep It Rural Southwestern Montana
- MapLight.org
- MCAT Civic Channel 11 Schedule
- Media Matters
- Missoula City Council
- Missoula City/County Board Agendas and Minutes
- Missoula Consolidated Planning Board agendas and packets
- Missoula County Commissioners Weekly Agenda
- Missoula Independent
- Missoula Institute for Sustainable Transportation
- Missoula Neighborhoods
- Missoula OPG Calendar
- Missoula Public Library
- Missoula Red Tape
- MissoulaGov Listserv
- Missoulian
- Montana Budget and Policy Center
- Montana Capitol Report
- Montana Conservation Voters
- Montana Environmental Information Center
- Montana Food Bank Network
- Montana FWP Public Notices
- Montana Human Rights Network
- Montana Independent Living Action Alert
- Montana Innocence Project
- Montana Law Library blog
- Montana Medical Growers Association
- Montana Public Radio
- Montana Water
- MT Land Board
- MT Legislative Audit Reports
- MT Legislative Committee & Hearing Information
- MT Legislative Fiscal Division
- MT Legislative Fiscal Division
- MT Legislative Webpage
- New Progressive Alliance
- Northern Plains Resource Council
- Northern Rockies Independent Media
- Northern Rockies Independent Media Network
- Nortwest Digital Archives
- Project on Government Oversight
- Public Land/Water Access Association, Inc.
- Robert Reich
- Scholar as Citizen
- SCOTUS blog
- Senatus
- Smirking Chimp
- Sustainable Business Council
- Taxpayers for Common Sense
- The Burton K. Wheeler Center
- The Center for Public Integrity
- The Clark Fork Chronicle
- The Nation Institute
- The New Health Dialogue Blog
- The Policy Institute
- The Project for Excellence in Journalism
- The Tax Foundation
- Zeitlangers
Mountain Blogs
- .The.Banks.Account
- 2nd Grade Bike Rack
- 43rd State Blues
- A Secular Franciscan Life
- Alisia Duganz – MetaData
- aloneinaforest presents
- Beaverhead County Democratic Party
- Big Hole Trout
- Big Hole Watershed Committee grayling report
- Big Sky Blog
- Big Sky Democrat
- Bill LaCroix
- Billings Blog
- Billings Housing Market
- Bitterroot Badger's Bozeman Buddhist Blog
- Blue Oregon
- Bunk in the West
- Button Valley Bugle
- Buzztail
- Charley Carp's
- Clean Green Sustainable
- Cognitive Dissonance
- CosmicGarden
- D. Gregory Smith: From Here to Eternity
- Dark Acres
- Demarcated Landscapes
- dig this chick
- Discovering Urbanism
- DownWithTyranny!
- Duganz: A Heretic's life
- EcoRover
- Electric City Weblog
- F-Words
- Feral Cats of Freedom
- Flathead Memo
- Geo Fizz
- GeoPostings
- goddamnindependents
- GreaterFalls
- Hamm On Wry
- High Country News
- Hummingbirdminds
- Intelligent Discontent
- interested party
- Just Thoughts
- Karbon Kounty Moos
- Left in the West
- Livingston, I Presume
- Missoula Editor
- Missoulapolis
- Montana Legal Eagle's Blog
- Montana Main St.
- Montana Matters
- Montana Wildlife Gardener
- montanafesto
- Mountains, Plains & People
- mtpolitics.net
- Mudflats
- Naked but For a Loincloth
- Native American Netroots
- New West
- Night Vision Missoula
- Nils Ribi’s Blog
- Ninetynineweeks
- Northern Rockies Rising Tide
- Other Nations
- Out There with Tom
- Patia Stephens
- Piece Of Mind
- Political Game
- Pragmatic Revolt
- Prairie Mary
- Prairie Pedagogue
- Preserving the Beartooth Front
- Problembear
- Progressive Alaska
- Ragged Edge of the Universe
- Really?
- Reptile Dysfunction
- Savage Mama
- Shakespeare and Co.
- Speedkill
- Sporky
- Swanview Coalition
- The Buffalo Post
- The Hip Homemaker
- The Montana Cowgirl
- the Montana Maven
- The Odd Neighbor
- The Road Less Traveled
- The Western Word
- The Wildlife News
- This Montana Life
- thoughtstreaming
- Watermark
- West Fork Blues
- Western Democrat
- Wheaterville
- Wild Horse (and Burro) Warriors
- Wilder Than a Grizzly's Dream
- Wulfgar!'s
Political Blogs
Various & Sundry
- Big Sky Documentary Film Festival
- Counterpunch
- Good Food Store
- High Plains Films
- Honor the Fallen
- Jim Hightower
- Library of Congress Blog
- Margaret & Helen’s Blog
- Missoula Community Food Co-op
- Missoula Urban Demonstration Project
- Montana Office of Tourism
- Mother Jones
- North Missoula Community Development Corporation
- Orion Magazine
- Slog
- The American Prospect
- The Atlantic
- The Awl
- The Economist
- The Hill
- The Nation
- Wild West Institute
- Wildlife Film Festival
Meta
Archives
- October 2015
- September 2015
- June 2015
- May 2015
- April 2015
- March 2015
- February 2015
- January 2015
- December 2014
- November 2014
- October 2014
- September 2014
- August 2014
- July 2014
- June 2014
- May 2014
- April 2014
- March 2014
- February 2014
- January 2014
- December 2013
- November 2013
- October 2013
- September 2013
- August 2013
- July 2013
- June 2013
- May 2013
- April 2013
- March 2013
- February 2013
- January 2013
- December 2012
- November 2012
- October 2012
- September 2012
- August 2012
- July 2012
- June 2012
- May 2012
- April 2012
- March 2012
- February 2012
- January 2012
- December 2011
- November 2011
- October 2011
- September 2011
- August 2011
- July 2011
- June 2011
- May 2011
- April 2011
- March 2011
- February 2011
- January 2011
- December 2010
- November 2010
- October 2010
- September 2010
- August 2010
- July 2010
- June 2010
- May 2010
- April 2010
- March 2010
- February 2010
- January 2010
- December 2009
- November 2009
- October 2009
- September 2009
- August 2009
- July 2009
- June 2009
- May 2009
- April 2009
- March 2009
- February 2009
- January 2009
- December 2008
- November 2008
- October 2008
- September 2008
- August 2008
- July 2008
- June 2008
- May 2008
- April 2008
- March 2008
- February 2008
- January 2008
- December 2007
- November 2007
- October 2007
- September 2007
- August 2007
- July 2007
- June 2007
- May 2007
- April 2007
- March 2007
- February 2007
- January 2007
- December 2006
- November 2006
- October 2006
- September 2006
- August 2006
- July 2006
- June 2006
- May 2006
- April 2006
- March 2006
- February 2006
Pages
Recent Comments
Miles on A New Shelter for Vets or an E… success rate for In… on Thirty years ago ARCO killed A… Warrior for the Lord on The Dark Side of Colorado Linda Kelley-Miller on The Dark Side of Colorado Dan on A New Shelter for Vets or an E… Former Prosecutor Se… on Former Chief Deputy County Att… JediPeaceFrog on Montana AG Tim Fox and US Rep.… -
Recent Posts
Blog Stats
- 1,673,230 hits
Categories
March 13, 2011 at 10:39 am
The French didn’t come in until after Saratoga (ie, defeat and surrender of a major force), and only did so in order to cripple a rival superpower. Their intervention added to their looming bankruptcy, which brought the regime down, and the French king who’d supported the Americans lost his head. Not exactly the first analogy I’d reach for.
March 13, 2011 at 10:42 am
They might not have entered the war until late in the game, but they supplied the American revolutionaries with gunpowder, financing, and assistance in training an army from almost the beginning.
March 13, 2011 at 10:39 am
My name is Jimmy Clapper
I’m near 70 years old
I go to office daily
without even being told
I figure out intelligence
before I take my nap
and drink my Metamucil
with some water from the tap
Oh yeah I said it’s China
and USSR too
It’s not USSR now?
Golly gee, who knew??
I think Qaddafi will win
yes he’ll win in the end
prevail with help from Iran
our faithful trusting friend
Iran is not our friend now?
Nor North Korea either?
Man I didn’t know that
I’d better take a breather
My name is Jimmy Clapper
I’m near 70 years old
it’s time to take my nap now
at least that’s what I’m told
March 13, 2011 at 2:20 pm
Yeah, Charley knows his history – no one that fought with us in the Revolution really came out on top. But I think you and I are in a rare instance of foreign policy agreement, lizard. We’ve already chosen sides. Once that’s done, its time to make sure our side wins.
However, I am puzzled at your willingness to involve ourselves in this issue. I understand our recalcitrance; once we start killing Libyans, directly or indirectly, we’ve crossed into sketchy territory. I think it’s worth it, but it’s not action to be taken lightly. I guess I’m just surprised that you support it, but obviously I don’t actually know you so that surprise isn’t based on much.
March 13, 2011 at 3:02 pm
Wrong author Wolf.
I don’t think we should get directly involved. But recognizing the National Council Govt and supplying them with supplies and funding would go along way to tipping the balance. We probably shouldn’t do so unilaterally, but through NATO.
March 13, 2011 at 5:33 pm
As I noted at ID – the Arab league has already endorsed a no-fly zone, though the African Union has not, much to their discredit. I don’t think we can recognize the rebels as a legit government and then allow them to be destroyed – if we recognize them as the real government of Libya I think we have to be willing to make sure they win.
March 13, 2011 at 5:22 pm
we’ll have to wait for another day to find agreement.
i most certainly do not support American involvement in Libya, at all, not even through NATO.
March 13, 2011 at 5:30 pm
Ah sorry, I mixed up the authors. Can we afford to let our support for Arab revolutions be limited only to those Arabs whose leaders have some scruples? More importantly, can we trust Gaddafi with the lives of the people of Benghazi? I think CFS is right – we can’t sit back and let an actual people’s movement get crushed.
March 13, 2011 at 5:39 pm
we can’t sit back and let an actual people’s movement get crushed?
does the same go for Yemen and Bahrain? how about Saudi Arabia?
we don’t have any credibility in the region. our intervention will only make things worse.
March 13, 2011 at 7:06 pm
Yes, the same goes for all of those countries. The US should obviously call for Gulf governments to liberalize and meet demands from the protesters, though you and I know how likely that is. But the humanitarian stakes in Libya are far, far higher, as is the chance of actually accomplishing regime change.
When both the rebels and the Arab League call for some kind of no-fly zone, there comes a point at which our credibility is damaged more by neglectful inaction than by careful, considered, and limited intervention.
March 14, 2011 at 2:57 am
Note to Charlie and other history buffs – while the French entered the war against England after Saratoga, they covertly provided desperatly needed financial support and supplies to the American Colonies for several years preceeding their “official” entry.
Some historians now argue Spain provided even greater financial support than France and further helped divert British naval support from the war in the colonies to defend against Spanish and French attempts to retake Gibralter and Minorca in the Mediterranean.
And let’s not forget the Dutch who supplied superior firearms and strategically timed lending to the American war effort. You can also thank the Dutch for lending the money Jefferson needed for the Louisiana Purchase.
Note to CFS – Just so we are all on the same page here, you do realize that declaring a “No Fly Zone” also means ‘enforcing’ a No Fly Zone. And that means, regardless of how many other nations come on board, sending in US planes with US crews (who may be killed) to shoot down Libyan aircraft, killing Libyan pilots, bombing Libyan anti-aircraft installations trying to shoot down our planes and often bombing airfields and other installations which means deaths of Libyan military personnel and civilians who become ‘collateral damage”. It also puts in danger the remaining 6,000 Americans who are still in Libya.
March 14, 2011 at 8:49 am
I realize a no fly zone requires enforcement and poses the risk of our personal being shot down, but you’ll notice that I never called for a no fly zone.
If the goal is to even the odds and give the protesters come rebels a chance at winning this thing, then there are better ways to do it. The rebels have already shot down several fighters using captured anti-aircraft guns. They are proving that they have the will to push Gaddafi out… Now they simply need the means to do it.
March 15, 2011 at 6:29 am
Right. I didn’t understand CFS to be calling for secret aid.
March 17, 2011 at 2:33 pm
Uh, ahem … there will be no intervention. Some will say that we prefer a devil we know to one we don’t, but it’s far more basic than that. We are a devil ourselves, and like other devils.
Ghaddafi will survive because the U.S. and Old Europe cannot allow a democratic Libya, or Egypt for that matter (still in play).